BALTIMORE -- Koji Uehara turned 39 years old on Thursday. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday. He's saved 20 of his last 22 regular season opportunities.

Jonathan Papelbon is 33. He allowed three runs on four hits and two walks in 1/3 of an inning on Wednesday night. He walked home the winning run as the Texas Rangers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3. Papelbon has saved 16 of his last 24 opportunities.

While Papelbon's velocity has declined and he's ran into some difficulty of late, his four-year, $50-million contract with the Phillies still has two active years left. Until the middle of last year, the largest contract ever signed by a reliever looked like it was worth it. Since then, it's been debatable.

The Red Sox, who wouldn't offer Papelbon the contract he was looking for after the 2011 season, have gone cost-effective in the bullpen.

Uehara made $4.5 million last year and set to make $5 million in 2014.

"I think a lot of people think that he’s just come on to the scene with his performance last year," manager John Farrell said. "I’ve said this repeatedly, this has been an outstanding pitcher for a number of years, whether it was in Japan or here in the States. The fact that he is of the age he is, that’s a testament to his work ethic. If you see what he goes through after he pitches late at night, with a workout, there’s a reason why he’s been durable and an elite performer. He’s talented and he’s got a great work ethic.”